Coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus.



No. 649,936. Patented May 22, I900.

R. KANN. COIN FREED LIQUID VENDING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Dec. 20, 1899.)

6N0 Model.)

2%; IIIII|I]I]I} #1 7? E W k w UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcs.

RICHARD KANN, or JENA, GERMANY.

COlN-FREED LIQUID-VENDING AI5I5ARA'I-US.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 649,936, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed December 20, 1899. Serial No. 741,051. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD KANN, physicist, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at 1 Kahlaischestrasse, Jena, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Freed Liquid- Vending Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus in which the quantity of liquid to be retailed after the introduction of a particular coin is weighed out by means of a weighing mechanism. The outflow of the liquid is governed in coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus according to this invention by two electromagnets,one of which, hereinafter called the opening magnet, opens the stop-cock fixed in the delivery-pipe, while the other electromagnet, hereinafter called the closing-magnet, is closed by the introduction of the prescribed coin into the apparatus and by the placing of a vessel of particular shape on the pan of the weighingmachine. The closing-magnet is excited when the prescribed quantity of liquid has flowed into the vessel to be filled, the pan of the Weighing mechanism sinking down and com pleting the electric circuit of the said closingmagnet. The closing-magnet would also be excited if the vessel to be filled were removed from the pan of the weighingmechanism before the same had sunk down.

The essential parts of a coin-freed liquidvending apparatus according to this invention are shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings in vertical section and partly diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the pan of the weighing mechanism, showingthe various contacts.

The stop-cock a is situated in the deliverypipe 10 of a liquid-receptacle 'u, a two-armed lever 19 being rigidly connected with the said cock. To this lever are attached the armatures Z) and b of the electromagnets c and (1, respectively. Then the electromagnet c is excited and attracts its armature b, the cook a is opened, while it is closed when the electromagnet d is excited and attracts its armature 5 The lever Z) is in connection with a switch-lever y through a link 11 When the cook a is closed, the switch-lever y rests on a contact-piece 1 as is shown in Fig. 1 by the dotted lines. The switch-lever y breaks contact with the contact-piece 3 when the cock is open, as is shown in Fig. 1 by full lines.

The mechanism for weighing out the liquid to be retailed comprises a lever f and an arm 7L2, pivoted to an upright 7b, the forward ends of f and It being pivoted to a vertical support r underneath the pan 5. The shorter arm of the lever f and the arm 71 form links of equal length in a parallel motion, whereby the vertical movement of the support 1? is secured. The rear portion of the lever f carries an adjustable weight g. The pan 8 is provided with one or more pairs of contacts m m, which are closed upon placing the vessel or glass u in the pan 3, also with a pair of contacts 0 o,which are normally closed, but open when the glass is placed on the pan.

When a coin is introduced into the appa ratus through the inlet-tube so, it falls on the upper horizontal arm x of a bent lever 03. To the lower arm of the lever 00 is fixed the armature z of an electromagnet i, the coil of which is connected, on the one hand, through a lead 11 with a contact Z and, on the other, through a lead 10 with the contact m of the pan 3. A contact 76' is fixed to the armature z of the electromagnet t' and is in connection with the opening-magnet 0 through a lead 5. \Vhen the electromagnet 11 is excited, the contact 7c comes against a contact 16 which is in connection with a battery h through leads 4 3 2 1. The coin introduced into the inlettube a; strikes, when it reaches the arm 40 of the bent lever m, against a movable contactarm Z, which is in connection through alead 12 with the contact-piece 1 and the introduction of the coin thus causes the contactarm Z to close a circuit through the contact Z;

When the glass to which is to be filled is placed on the pan 8, the contacts in m are pressed together.

contacts Z l are brought together by the introduction of a coin, the circuit of the battery h is closed. The current then flows along the leads 1 2 9 through the contacts m m, along the lead 10 through the coil of the electromagnet 1', along lead 11 through the contacts Z Z, and then via lead 12, contact- If at the same time the piece 3 the switch-levery, (which when the cock is closed rests on the contact-piece 11 and leads 13 and 8 back to the battery. The electromagnet t is consequently excited and attracts its armature z. The horizontal arm 00 is drawn back, so that the coin is freed and can fall down, while simultaneously the con tact on the armature z is brought against the contact 70 The freeing of the coin, however, interrupts the circuit of the electromagnet 2. Now in order to prevent the bent lever on from being thereby immediately brought back to its original position, whereby the contacts 70 k would be separated, a spring-contact e is arranged behind the bent lever 00'. The spring-contactisin connection with the electromagnet 4. through leads 20 and 11, and it is pressed against a contact e when the bent lever n2 is shifted. The contact 6 is in connection with the lead 12 through a lead 30. The contacts 6 e are closed before the 0011- tacts Z Z are opened by the freeing of the coin, and the current now flows from the battery through 1, 2, 9, m, m, 10, t', 11, 20, e, c, 30, 12, if, y, 13, and 8 back to the battery. The electromagnet t'thus remains excited and retains the armature ,2 in the attracted position, so that the contacts 7t" 70 remain closed and the circuit of the opening -magnet 0 remains closed. The circuit of the opening-magnet is as follows: The current flows from the battery 7L along the leads 1 2 3 a through the contacts 1: 7;, along the lead 5 to the opening-magnet c, and thence along leads 6, 7, and 8 back to the battery. The electromagnet c is consequently excited and attracts its armature b, so that the lover 1) takes up the position shown in Fig. 1 in full lines, and the cook a is consequently opened. Owing to the motion of the lever 11 the circuit of the electromagnet i is broken at y 7 The armature z is therefore released and the bent lever 03 is brought back to its original position by a spring. The contacts 7t" 7&2 are thereby separated and the circuit of the opening-magnet c is thereby broken. Then the prescribed quantity of liquid has flowed into the glass it, the pan .9 will sink down, bringing a contact p, fixed to the lower end of the support 1* and in connection with the closing-magnet d, against a contact p, which is in connection with the battery h. The current now flows from the battery 7t along the leads 1 14: through the contacts p 1), along the lead 15 to the electromagnet d, and thence along the leads 16, 7, and 8 back to the battery. The electromagnet (Z is thus excited and it attracts its armature b and thereby closes the cook a.

Instead of arranging, as shown in Fig. 1, a single pair of contacts on m inconnection with the pan 8 one may also arrange, as indicated in Fig. 2, several such pairs of contacts 'm m m m m' m m m (to. These contacts are connected in series, so that the circuit of the electromagnet 2' is in this case closed only when all the movable contacts m m m" on, &c., are pressed outward by the glass placed on the pan 5. Consequently the apparatus can be actuated only when a glass of the prescribed shape is placed on the pan of the weighing mechanism. By removing the glass from the pan 5 before it is quite full, and therefore before the contacts p p are brought together and the circuit of the electromagnet (Z is closed, the introduction of a single coin would procure an indefinite supply of liquid. To prevent this, the contact-arm 0 is fixed to the pan 5. The contact-arm 0 is normally in touch with the contact 0; but these contacts 0 0 are separated upon placing the vessel u on the pan 8. The contact 0 is in connection with the battery through a lead 17, while the contact 0 is in connection with a contact (1 through a lead 18, and against this contact comes a contact q of the lever Z) when the cock is opened. The contact q is in connection with a lead 15 of the closing-magnet d through a lead 19. It now when the cock is open the glass it is removed from the pan 8 before the scale has sunk down and brought the contacts 1) p together, the contacts 0 o are thereby closed. The path of the current is then as follows: from the battery 7b along 1 2 3 17 0 0' 18 q q 19 15 the closing-magnet d, 16, 7, and 8 back to the battery. The electromagnet (Z is conseq uently excited and the cook a is closed.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is' 1. In a liquid-vending machine, a supplytan k, a valve controlling the outflow of liquid, electromagnets controlling said valve, a balanced support for the dispensing vessel, a battery, electrical connections, and a coinoperated switch adapted to close a branch circuit through the magnets operating the. valve, substantially as set forth.

2. In a liquid-vending machine, a supplytank, a valve controlling the outflow of liquid, electromagnets controlling the opening and closing of said valve, a balanced support for the dispensing vessel, electric contacts on said support closed by said vessel, a battery, a circuit including the contacts 011 the support, and a coin-operated switch included in and closing a circuit through said magnets, substantially as described.

3. In a liquid-vending machine, a supplytank, a valve controlling the outflow of liquid, a magnet causing opening and one causing the closing of said valve, a balanced support for the dispensing vessel, electric contacts on said support closed by the vessel, a battery, an electromagnet, a. circuit including said battery-contacts, 1nagnet,and a shunt-circuit, an armature operated by the latter magnet, and a coin-operated switch closingthe circuit, thereby energizing the magnet and causing the armature to close a branch circuit through the valve-opening magnet and simultaneously close the shunt around the coin-operated switch, substantially as set forth,

IIO

4. In a liquid-vending machine, a supplytank, a valve controlling the outflow of liquid, a magnet for opening and one for closing said valve, a balanced support for the dispensing vessel, electric contacts on said support closed by the vessel, a battery, an electromagnet, a coin-operated switch, a-circuit including said battery-contacts, magnet and switch in series, a shunt-circuit around said switch, an armature for said magnet having two arms, one of said arms adapted to support the coin against the switch and when withdrawn to close circuit around said switch, and the other arm adapted to close a branch circuit through the opening-magnet, substantially as set forth.

5. In a liquid-vending machine, a supply tank, a valve controlling the outflow of liquid, a magnet for opening and one for closing said valve, a balanced support for the dispensing vessel, electric contacts closed by said vessel and a second set opened by said vessel, a battery, a coin-operated switch and coin-releasing mechanism, a circuit including said battery, the contacts closed by the vessel, the coin-operated switch and releasing mechanism, and a branch circuit including the contacts opened by the vessel and the valve-closing magnets, whereby the valve will be closed and the supply of liquid can be cut off when the vessel is prematurely removed, substantially as set forth.

6. In a liquid-vending machine, a supplytank, a valve controlling the outflow of liquid, a magnet for opening and one for closing said valve, a pivoted lever carrying the armatures of said magnets and operating the valve, a circuit -breaking device controlled by the opening-magnet and breaking its circuit, a scale-pan, a set of contacts closed by and a set opened by the dispensing vessel placed on said pan, a coin-operated switch and electrical coin-releasing mechanism, a battery, a circuit including said battery, contacts closed by the dispensing vessel,coin-operated switch, coin-releasing mechanism and circuit-breaking device, and a branch circuit including the contacts opened by the dispensing vessel and the valve-closing magnet, whereby the of said magnets and operating the valve, elec-- tric coin-operated mechanism for opening said valve, a scale-pan and its abutment, contacts held open by the dispensing vessel on said pan, a circuit closed through the scale-pan abutment and valve-closing magnet, and a shunt-circuit closed through the contacts held open by said vessel and valve-closing mag nets, substantially as set forth.

8. In a liquid-vending machine, a supplytank, a valve controlling the outflow of liquid, a magnet for opening and one for closing said valve,a lever carrying armatures forsaid mag nets at its ends and operating said valve, a device for breaking the circuit of the openingmagnet on said lever, and a pair of springcontacts closed by said lever, electric coin-operated mechanism for opening said valve and releasing the coin, a scale-pan abutment, contacts on said pan opened by the dispensing vessel, a circuit closed through the closing-magnet when the scale-pan sinks on its abutment, and a branch circuit adapted to be closed through the spring-contacts and closing-ma net when the dispensing vessel is removed, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD KANN.

\Vitnesses:

DIEDRIOH LANKENAU, Fnrrz HELBIG. 

